Angling to Be the MasterCard of Bitcoin

The 31-year-old CEO of Coinbase on his plan to become the world payment processor for the virtual currency. Could this be the end of credit cards?

By

Andy Kessler

May 16, 2014 6:07 p.m. ET

San Francisco

As I drive into San Francisco to meet tech entrepreneur Brian Armstrong, reminders of the California Gold Rush pop up everywhere, from Levi Strauss to the San Francisco 49ers. Various modern gold rushes have periodically swept the area for the past few decades, and the 31-year-old Mr. Armstrong is at the forefront of the latest frenzied scramble: virtual currency.